Dan and the Broken Girl
by thatwriterCali
Summary: Dan Howell bumps into a strange girl on the street, and becomes inexplicably caught up in her life, love, and painful past.
1. An Unexpected meeting

Dan Howell strode down the street, hands tucked into the pockets of his black jeans. His galaxy cats T-shirt flapped in the mild spring breeze that rustled the new grass at the edges of the streets. Shaking off the temptation to get a scone from his favorite bakery, he instead directed his attention ahead of him. He gazed at his worn sneakers, pointing toward the grocery store and tapping the pavement in an even beat, until someone slammed into his chest with a muffled "Oof!" Stumbling and nearly falling over, he grabbed onto the other person's arm for balance.

"God, why am I so clumsy?" He muttered, finally being able to stand up straight. He held the person he'd bumped into out at arm length. It was a girl, wearing a thick navy sweatshirt and loose grey jeans, despite the nice weather. "Are you ok?" He asked. The girl's huge brown eyes were filled with terror, for some reason Dan couldn't fathom. Was he really that terrifying? "Are you ok?" He girl squeaked, fidgeting with a strand of her long light brown hair, and whispered a quiet "...yes…" before pulling away from his gentle grip and running off. "What's with her?" Dan wondered aloud. Whipping out his phone, he began to text, careful to keep his eyes on the path this time. Maybe Phil should know about this…

Dan, arms piled high with groceries, flopped down at the kitchen table. Those stairs… One of these days, he was going to tell the landlord that they needed an elevator. Actually, he already had. Twice. If only Phil had been here to help him with carrying the heavy bags. Phil was in Manchester, doing something or other for the BBC, and would be there for two weeks. Dan sighed, and began putting away the food. Whenever Phil left, the apartment seemed so… lonely. It was nice having someone to talk to, even if that person had an unhealthy obsession with Buffy. Suddenly, the almost-silence was broken by the chime of a received text message. Dan lept across the room and snatched up his phone and YES! The library finally had it! Dan had ordered a hard-to-find anime DVD and it hadn't come in for nearly a month. "F-ing yeah!" Dan slammed the fridge shut, shoved his phone in his pocket and raced out the door with speed very unlike him. He jogged down the street and jumped onto the nearest bus, bouncing lightly on his toes as he waited for his stop. The moment the doors opened, he hopped out and fast-walked the next three blocks as quickly as he could. At the library, he placed his hands on the desk and leaned forward, asking, "Um, hello. I ordered an Anime DVD, and was told it had arrived." The middle-aged man behind the desk chuckled and responded, "Well then, let me help you! What's your name, boy?"

"Phil Lester." As Dan didn't have a library card, he always used Phil's when he took out anything. The man bent down and looked through the reserved and ordered books, running his finger along each spine. He paused on one and pulled it out, handing it to Dan.

"This yours, Phil?"

Dan glanced at the beautiful characters on the cover, holding each other in their arms.

"Yes. Thanks! But before I check this out, can I look around to see if there are any other things that I want?" The man nodded and Dan walked over to the tall wire rack holding several manga comics and graphic novels. Flipping through them, he stuck a couple under his arm with the DVD and set the rest back. But as he placed one back in it's spot, a flash of navy blue caught his eye. Peering over the bookshelves, he spotted the same girl who had bumped into him earlier. She pored over a thick fantasy novel titled _Heir of Fire_ , and an enormous stack of books stood beside her. He watched, fascinated, as her expressions changed rapidly. First a look of rapture, then of fear, then of wonder, and finally, of happiness. She looked so happy, so content, as she closed her book. Setting it to the side, she let out a peaceful sigh that turned into a gasp as she saw Dan watching her. Scrambling backwards, she knocked over her neat pile, sending the books (and herself) tumbling to the floor. Putting down his anime and manga, he rushed over. Leaning down to help her, he asked, "Are you alright? That was quite a fall." She hesitated before accepting the offered hand, her grip tentative and loose.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine," she muttered in a pronounced American accent.

"Are you sure? First you bumped into me this morning, now I've scared you half to death!" The moment he said it, Dan regretted it. The girl shivered slightly, biting her lower lip. If anything, she was clearly not fine. To break the awkward silence, he cracked, "Tell me, am I really all that hideous? When you shrieked, thought that maybe I was some sort of monster."

She shivered even harder, and a look of such pain and horror crossed her face that Dan himself started to shudder. "...No." she whispered. " _You_ aren't."

She swiftly snatched up her books and fairly ran to the checkout line. Another young woman walked up to her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Come _on_ , Nicole, he's just another guy. He's nothing to be afraid of!"

"But-Celia, he looked… he looked like _him_."

Understanding echoed in the other woman's eyes. "Nicky, I thought we talked about this. Several times. He's not going to hurt you!"

The girl sighed. "Don't patronize me, Celia. I'm a month older than you."

"Alright, alright. Oh! By the way, I found a few apartments for you to check out-" and their voices disappeared into the clamor of the crowded library. Dan was rooted to the spot, still staring after her. Slowly, he came back to his senses and picked up his anime, mindlessly completing the task. Something about what that girl had said… scared him. He'd asked her a playful question, " _I thought that maybe I was some sort of monster,"_ and she'd said " _ **You**_ _aren't."_ It was almost as if she'd met an actual monster. _What happened to her? What happened, that she would be so broken, so hurt like that?_ An unusually deep thought for such a sunny day. But he wanted to learn more about her, to find out who she really was. Suddenly, an idea barged its way into his head, an idea so crazy and stupid that it _just might work._ Now, Dan wasn't usually the impulsive type, but he plucked his phone from his pocket and dialed Phil's number with shaky fingers. When his friend answered, Dan ignored all hellos and asked, "Phil, what do you think of having another person join the flat?"


	2. The Apartment

Hey guys! Thank you so much for all you support and for reading this fanfic! Please give me some reviews, I would love to hear what you think of my awkward writing! I'll take any suggestions and ideas, and I would love it if you told people about me! I plan on writing a Fairy Tail fanfic, as well as one about Dan accidentaly getting trapped in an Anime!

Tons of love, **Cali**

* * *

"Celia, I hate to break it to you, but none of them feel right." sighed a young woman.

"Nicole! Come on, they were all fine!" groaned Celia, running her fingers through her long blonde hair.

"But in the uptown apartment, the neighbor looked at me weird, and he gave me this creepy smile, and in the west town one, the floor was all warped and creaky and-"

"Nicole! There is nothing wrong with the apartments! And you have got to stop freaking out like this! You look at every guy like they're going to hurt you!" Celia regretted it the moment she said it. Nicole's face crumpled like a leaf, crushed underfoot.

"Oh Nicky, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it." The other woman only nodded.

"If the apartments don't feel alright, then we'll look at some other ones, OK?" Sometimes, with Nicole, you had to act like she was a kid.

"Sure." muttered Nicole. Celia scooted closer and turned on her phone, tapping in the code with quick fingers.

"Hmmm... Oh! A new one just came in! The rent is... let's see... $500 a month! You can afford that, easy! Plus it's got this gorgeous view over the city, look!" Nicole, who'd been ignoring Celia's babble, glanced at the screen, looked away, and whirled her head back again. A breathtaking photo of London at night, taken through a large window, beamed up at her.

"Wow." She whispered. "That _is_ a gorgeous view."

"I know!" chirped Celia. "Ooh, and it has a breakfast bar, a huge living room and a downstairs!" She swiped through the photos, smile growing wider with each one. "You'd love this one! It's- oh. Never mind."

"What?" asked Nicole. "It seemed good."

Celia awkwardly scratched the back of her neck. "Uhhhh... you'd have to share it with two guys."

Nicole glanced down at her fingers, took a deep breath. "I still want to look at it."

Celia squealed, lunging forward and throwing her arms around Nicole. "Yes! I knew you cold do it!"

Nicole grunted, almost choked by Celia's frantic embrace. If it was anyone else, she would've had a panic attack, but this was Celia.

"Ribs." She wheezed.

"Oops! Sorry! But I can tell, you're going to love this one!" She snatched up her phone again, scrolling down through pages of information.

"The guys are very quiet, have never received complaints from their neighbors, etc. Yeah, they seem fine." She jumped up, slinging her purse over she shoulder and plopping her straw cowgirl hat on her head.

"W-what are you doing?" asked a puzzled Nicole.

"We're going to check out the apartment, silly." Laughed Celia. "Let's go!"

* * *

Dan reclined in a chair, eating malteasers. How could one small thing be so utterly amazing? He savored the sweet milk chocolate and crispy, crunchy malt. Mmmm... Perfection in a ball the size of his thumbnail. His phone jingled loudly, breaking the peace. Dan sighed, placed down his bag of malteasers and answered it. It was his landlord. "Hi, Katrina. Why are you calling? I paid the rent a week ago, and plus, you live only three floors below me."

"I'm not calling because of rent, I know you paid me." Katrina smiled. "I'm calling because, well, you know that ad you put out, saying that one more person could join your apartment? Well, someone seems interested. "

"Really?" Asked Dan. "That's great!"

"There were the rabid fans, of course, begging to live with their idols, but this person seems genuinely interested. I just sent them up."

Just then, the doorbell rang.

* * *

Nicole took a deep breath, and pressed the door bell, hearing it ring out into the apartment. Footsteps quickly tapped toward them from inside, fingers fiddled with the lock.

Nicole started to shiver, drawing her arms closely around herself. Celia placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Come on girl, you got this." she whispered, just as the door opened, revealing a the same young man she had bumped into just two days ago.

The man's eyes widened in surprise, and a smile spread across his face. "It's you!" he said.

Celia's eyes looked like they were about to fall out of her head. "W-wait. _You_ are Dan Howell? The YouTuber? OHMYGOSHI'MSUCHAHUGEFAN!"

The young man, _Dan,_ Nicole thought, stared at them with a slightly bemused expression. "Uh, yeah, that's me. And you are?"

Celia was beaming, more happy than Nicole thought was humanly possible. "I'm Celia, and this is Nicole. She's going to be checking out the apartment!"

"Alright, that's cool. Follow me." Dan turned and began walking back into the apartment. Celia and Nicole gave each other a long look, (excited on Celia's part, nervous on Nicole's) and they walked inside.


	3. Discovery and Tragedy

**Hey guys! Thank you SOOOOO much for all the support, because, guess what? I have 43 views on Dan and the Broken girl! Now, this may not seem like a lot to you, but to me, (The newbie I am) this is huge! A big shout out to Guest, who sent me my first review! I love all of you guys so much! I have a question though: I'm writing a story about a wolf/human universe where society is divided by gender, and one girl who dares defy a powerful Alpha male. Does this sound good? And more importantly, does this count as a Fanfic? Tell me in the reviews! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, though I am putting in a trigger warning for abuse. Love, Cali**

* * *

"So, can I get you something to drink?"

Celia, still starry-eyed that she was meeting her idol YouTuber, breathlessly responded "Yes! of course!" With an exasperated eye roll, Nicole accepted as well.

"Ummm... I hate to ask, but where's the other guy who lives here?" Nicole inquired.

"Oh, you mean Phil!" Dan called from the kitchen. "He's away at the moment, doing a two-week thing for the BBC. God, I miss him."

Celia sighed dreamily, whispering to Nicole, "Those two are so CUTE!"

"So, what do you think of the apartment so far?" Dan asked, walking back with three cups of English Breakfast tea.

"It was OK." shrugged Nicole. In reality, though, she was amazed. The flat was neat and tidy, and everything seemed bright and airy and open and... beautiful. She accepted the steaming mug of tea offered to her and placed it on the coffee table. Drumming her fingers lightly on the couch, she stared dreamily into the distance, ignoring Celia's pointed glare for calling the apartment _OK._

"Well, we haven't even gotten to downstairs, so don't judge quite yet." Dan sipped his tea once and set it down next to Nicole's. Beckoning them closer, he turned toward the stairs and started down them. Celia followed like an exited puppy, but Nicole hesitated a moment before following them down.

* * *

"Well, here we are! This is the room that would be your bedroom!" exclaimed Dan, obviously exited to showcase this part of the house. Nicole peeked through the doorway and began to grin.

"It's nothing much," Dan anxiously said. "It used to be our filing room. But we don't have much to file, so-" Nicole shushed him, still looking around, smile growing ever broader. "No, I love it." she whispered. "It's perfect." Celia almost had a heart attack.

"S-so you're going to live here?!" she shrieked. "T-that means that I'll get to visit, and-" Nicole shushed her once again, eyes traveling over the pale, worn wooden floor, snowy white bed frame, and whitewashed walls. "I love it." she repeated. Dan looked puzzled at her love of such a simple, unadorned place, but he shrugged and replied, "If you like it that much." They almost had to drag Nicole away fro the room, back upstairs and onto the couch again. "So, here are the forms you need to fill out." Dan handed her an enormous pile of documents and a fancy pen, and turned away only to find Celia's hand on his shoulder.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" She asked, her expression uncharacteristically grim.

"Of... course." Dan replied.

Celia pulled him into the hall, away from Nicole. She took a deep breath and began. "Nicole was sexually abused." Dan's jaw dropped. "By someone she trusted." Dan, shocked beyond belief, stuttered, "W-when did this happen?"

"Over a year ago, but she is still scarred and doesn't trust anyone. But this isn't my place to tell you about this. When Nicole wants to tell you, she'll tell you." Dan nodded, still unnerved, but Celia wasn't finished.

"I don't care if you're famous. If I find out you've laid _one hand_ on her without her consent, you. Are. Dead." With that last, ominous statement, she walked back to the living room. Dan, shaking, waited a moment before following her, just as Nicole had at the top of the stairs.

* * *

Nicole tapped the papers against the table, evening them out. "Done!" she called out to Celia as she returned to the room. As Dan entered, she beamed at him, only to find his expression worried. He quickly switched on a grin, but she could see that something had disturbed him. "I... finished the papers." she said.

"Great!" he said, in a faked cheery voice. "Now all we have to do is give them to Katrina, my landlord, bring your stuff in, and you'll be our new flatmate!" By this point, there was nothing fake about the cheer in his voice, and Nicole wondered if just maybe, she had made a good decision.


	4. Nicole's Room

Hey guys! OH. MY. GOD. I HAVE 100 VIEWS! Guys, you have no idea how much this means to me, that people actually bother to read my crappy fanfic! I love you all so much, and can't wait to write more of Dan and the Broken Girl. PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE leave some reviews! It would be crazy awesome! (just like you guys!)

Tons of love, Cali

P.s. Check out chapter 1 of my book, _the World is Ending, and Nobody Knows,_ On Wattpad!

* * *

Nicole straightened up, stretching her spine with a bone-popping crack. "And that's about it!"

"Good," groaned Dan. "If I have to move one more box I'm going to do die from exhaustion."

Celia snorted. "You've only moved two! And that one you 'helped' carry doesn't count!" She slung a casual arm around Nicole's shoulders, giving her a concerned glance as Nicole flinched. Quickly shaking the moment off, Nicole looked around the small room, full of cardboard boxes. "You know what?" She abruptly said. "Take a break. I can unpack them myself." Celia nodded, understanding that she needed some privacy, and walked toward the door. Dan, however, looked at her in surprise. "You're sure?" he edged. "There's a lot of boxes, and..." He trailed off as Celia gave him the 'Look of Death'.  
"Hey Dan," she chirped sweetly. "How about we go and make some tea? I'm dying to try the type you showed me: PG tips, you called it?" "You've already had it!" Dan protested as he was dragged from the room and up the stairs. Celia plopped him down on the sofa and glared at Dan.

"Look," she growled. "When she agreed to you helping her carry those boxes, I nearly had a heart attack. She refuses almost all contact with others, and there are very few people that she wholeheartedly trusts. Don't push it though. Don't EVER do anything she hasn't offered or asked you to do. EVER. Are we clear?" Dan, eyes wide, nodded wordlessly. "Good." Celia sighed and sat down next to him. "I'm sorry about that. It's just..." She waved her hands listlessly in the air, searching for the right words. "I worry about Nicole, Dan. She used to be so spunky and happy, but when... you know, _**IT**_ happened, she lost everything that I loved about her. She became this hollow, empty, broken shell of a girl. Some days, she... thinks she's back at the time when she was... Assaulted. She doesn't recognise me, and she just cowers and cries and begs for mercy and there's nothing I can do and it hurts, Dan. It really hurts." Tears were streaming down Celia's face and dripping onto her shirt, leaving maroon splotches on the crimson fabric. Dan, not quite sure what to do, hesitated slightly before putting an arm around the sobbing woman's shoulders. "Uh, can you not cry?" he mumbled. "I never know what to do when people cry." This drew a slight laugh from Celia, and Dan relaxed. Swiping at her mascara-stained cheeks, Celia smiled at him. "T-thanks. Just... take care of Nicole, OK? In a month, I have to leave for my sister's birthday in Ohio, and I'll be staying until September. I won't be here for Nicole then, and I'll need you to keep her safe." Dan held up a hand. "Whoa whoa whoa!" he gasped. "You just... You're trust me to..."

"Yes, I do. _Don't_. Mess this up." Celia said, an air of finality in her tone. "Now, lets go make some tea and see if Nicole is done."

* * *

Nicole was tacking up the last corner of a poster when a knock sounded on her door. "Come in." she mumbled through a mouthful of pins. Celia walked in, almost tip-toeing, a cup of tea in her hand. Dan peeked around the door as well, and Nicole jerked back slightly, a gasp on her lips, but recovered and beckoned him in as well. "Wow, Nicole, this is amazing!" Celia grinned. Nicole spat the pins into the palm of her hand, shrugging to cover her unease with Dan there. "It's nothing much," she scoffed. "I just put up my posters and books and stuff." Dan stared open mouthed at a handmade painted poster, one she had bought at DragonCon several years ago. "You watch Attack on Titan?" he asked. "Well, yeah." Nicole replied. "Isn't it really good?"

"OH MY GOD IT"S GOOD! I mean, the characters, and the plot, and HELL EVERYTHING ABOUT IT IS AMAZING!" If Nicole didn't know better, she would've thought that Dan had just squealed like a fangirl. "OoooOOK?" she muttered. Dan pivoted slowly on his heel, taking in the room that had, only hours ago, been empty. Several posters were hung on the walls, their themes including Attack on Titan, Doctor Who, and one of a podcast called Welcome to Nightvale. An enormous bookshelf took up almost all of one wall, and was nearly as tall as Dan himself. On it, fantasy novels were organized alphabetically by author, and on the top sat a crazy amount of merchandise from various fandoms. "Wow, Nicole, how did you set this all up so quickly?" He said, sitting down on her immaculately made bed. "This is really cool!" He gently stroked the midnight-blue comforter as Nicole, awkwardly scratching the back of her head, replied, "Um, thanks." Dan smiled, flicking a strand of chestnut hair out of his eyes. "No, really, it's awesome! I love it!" Nicole let a small smile touch her lips. "If I recall correctly, that's exactly what I said when I decided to move here. Copycat." Celia grinned as Nicole and Dan began bickering. Finally, her friend had trusted, if only a little.


	5. The Dinner

**Guys, I am so, SO sorry! I know I haven't posted a chapter in a couple months, it's just... homework and stuff is really crazy right now, and I really don't have tons of time on my hands. I've been trying my hardest to write this chapter, and I really hope you like it! Leave your ideas and comments in the reviews, and I'll see if I can incorporate your feedback into my fanfic! I've had some great ideas for a FairyTail or Attack on Titan fanfic, so stay tuned!**

 **All my love, _Cali_ **

* * *

"I'll be back tomorrow, OK?" Celia embraced her friend, carefully _not_ touching her back. "Be careful." She shot a dark glance at Dan.

"Geez," Nicole muttered, extracting herself from Celia's over-enthusiastic hug. "I'll be fine!"

"You better be!" Celia slung her purse over a shoulder, blew Nicole a kiss, and walked out. As the door shut firmly, Nicole turned around.

"So..." she asked. Dan braced himself for the worst- "What's for dinner?"

"Oh! Uhhh..." He mumbled. "Indian. It's one of the few things I can make without burning anything." Nicole smiled. "I'll help. I can kind of cook, and it would be cool to learn how to make Indian." Dan hesitated before nodding, and walked into the kitchen.

* * *

By the time they finished, Dan was close to collapsing. Sweat slid down the back of his neck and beaded on his upper lip.

"How are you not exhausted?" he griped, flopping into a chair.

"I'm tired, but not exhausted." Nicole replied. "You, on the other hand..."

"Yeah, Yeah," Dan grumbled. "No need to rub in how out-of-shape I am." Nicole smiled, but said nothing. An awkward, yet oddly companionable silence stretched between them. Five minutes later, it was broken by a concerned Nicole. "Umm... I hate to break up this cozy heart-to-heart, but is something burning?"

"The chicken!" Dan shrieked, his voice somewhere around the pitch of a six year old girl's. He raced over to the stove, snatched up an oven mitt, and flipped two pieces of chicken out onto a plate. He ladled rice out of a pot, sprinkled it with poppy seeds, and whirled around to a smirking Nicole.

"And you say you're not athletic?"

* * *

Nicole bit her lip, looking at the delicious meal arrayed on her plate: pink pepper chicken on a bed of lemon poppy seed rice, with garlic-fried asparagus.

"Well?" Dan demanded. "Are you going to eat it or not? It's not like I'm going to poison you!" Nicole took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and bit into a piece of (slightly burned) chicken. Her eyes widened, and she swallowed heavily. Dan sighed. "I ruined it, didn't I? Damn cooking..."

"No!" Nicole interrupted. "It's really good!"

"Oh. T-thanks." Dan hesitantly took a bite of his, and began to grin. "You're right. This isn't half bad." He flung his arms in the air, yelling, "ALL HAIL DAN, LORD OF THE CHICK...en... what am I saying?!" He looked over at Nicole, who was laughing so hard she could barely breath. She lay her head on the table and pounded it with her fists, tears of mirth streaming across her cheeks. "Oh, it's great to see you find me so amusing," Dan huffed. Abruptly, Nicole's chuckles began turning into hacking coughs, her eyes flew wide open, and she clutched at her throat. "W-wai- A-are you...? Oh shit!" As Dan realized what was happening, he began to freak out. How did you do the Heimlich maneuver again? It was one of those times where someone what your favorite song is and you forget every song you've ever heard. His mind racing even faster than his heartbeat, Dan ran to the other side of the table, clasped his hand together, and whacked Nicole on the back over and over. It wasn't the most orthodox or recommended way, but it was all he could think of at that moment. Nicole coughed, fell back to the table, and began taking deep, desperate breaths.

"Are you OK?" Dan asked, kneeling beside her. At the sight of him, she gasped and scrambled backwards.

"Wh-what did I do?" Dan asked, confused. Nicole shut here eyes, and shook her head slightly. "I-It's nothing. I'm fine. Now- can we finish dinner?" She looked at the upended plates, the tablecloth covered in grains of lemon rice. "Or not."

* * *

They ended up marathoning the Anime Dan had gotten at the library a few days ago. The plot line was complicated, but it was something about how men and women had been separated, until a young boy and girl began speaking through the crack in the wall that divided them. They grew up longing for a way to break the wall and meet each other, but when they turned 16, a war broke out between the different sides. Somehow, the main characters stopped the war, tore down the wall and got to be together. Nicole fell asleep during episode 12 and didn't wake up until the finale, so she missed almost half the show. Dan didn't mind, though. It was nice, with the blindingly bright TV screen blaring in his face, a bowl of popcorn sitting on his lap, and a beautiful girl resting her head on his shoulder. He would never touch so much as a hair on her head, though. Celia's warning ran fresh through his mind, and he wasn't going to get on her bad side. But it was more than that: Dan knew, somewhere in the existential-crisis-marred thing he called a heart, that he could never bring himself to hurt such a battered, scarred, broken girl.


	6. Memories

**Hello, wonderful people! I am SOSOSOSOSO sorry! I know, I know. I haven't updated Dan and The Broken Girl in like, a month. With school wrapping up, I've had to take a million exams and stuff... It's been horrible. But I'm back now! I have a million other books and stuff that I'm writing right now, so I'll only be able to add new chapters here once or twice a month. If you'd like to check out my other works on Wattpad, I have the same username there. WARNING: This chapter has some non-consentual lime-y ness. If you're not OK with that, don't read this.**  
 **All My Love, Cali 3**

* * *

"I'll be back around ten, don't wait for me!" Dan called, hand resting on the doorknob. "There's some leftovers in the fridge."  
"Yeah, yeah, I know," called his unbelievably bored-sounding flatmate, Nicole, her face buried in _A Song of Ice and Fire._ "Go, already. You're going to be late!"  
"Alright, I'm going!" Dan called, walking out, only to stick his head back round the door. "Remember, don't-" A novel flew toward his face, missing him by inches.  
"Oh my God! If you're going to go, then go! I don't need another mom!" As Dan left, she grinned and called after him: "Don't get _too_ drunk!"

* * *

Nicole nibbled on a piece of popcorn, engrossed in _Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl._  
 _'Johnny Depp is definitely the best choice to play Jack Sparrow,'_ she thought just as the movie blared, "It's _Captain_ Jack Sparrow" in her face. Chuckling at the perfect timing, she closed her computer, put down the bowl of popcorn and stood up. Walking aimlessly around the apartment, stretching and yawning loudly, she ran down the stairs and into her bedroom. Though it was only eight, she pulled on a pair of flannel PJ pants and an old T-Shirt, snuggling into a worn blue sweater. Nicole sat down at her desk, pulling her laptop closer, and opened up her half-finished Eren x Mikasa fanfic.  
 _'"H-hey Mikasa?" Eren asked swinging his feet back and forth, his toes just touching the surface of the water. "Yeah?" she replied. "I-I... wanted to tell you something." Mikasa raised her eyebrows, concealing a hopeful smile behind her scarf. "I... I..." Letting out a cry of exasperation, Eren grabbed hold of the scarf, brushing away the red fabric and pressing his lips against her own. Mikasa gasped, eyebrows shooting up, and leaned further into the kiss-'  
_ Nicole stood, cracking her neck and swinging her arms back and forth. Making her way to the kitchen, she opened the fridge, poking around, before sighing and closing it again. Bored. She was so, so bored. Leaning against the wall, she ran a hand through her hair before pausing. A wicked grin spread across her face, and her light brown eyes darkened perceptibly. It was time to do some snooping.

* * *

After nearly half an hour of looking through Dan's things, Nicole had found nothing. Well, there was that one picture of Nick Jonas surrounded in hearts, and the print-out of a _very_ dirty Haru x Reader fanfic, but not much other than that. "Arrg!" Nicole grunted. "There has to be something I can tease him about..." Digging through a pile of Pokemon cards, her fingers closed around something that felt like a tube of lipstick. "Hmm? What's this?" She pulled out her arm, holding the object up to the light. "It looks like a-" Her eyes widened, and she gasped. Memories flashed through her mind, each one cutting and brutal. _Dan uses... A vibrator?_ A cold hand closed around Nicole's wrist, snapping her out of her trance. "Touch something that's mine again, and You'll be punished." A low voice growled in her ear, both sensual and cruel.  
"D-Dan?" Nicole whispered, terror in her voice. She hadn't even heard him come in! "What are you doing?" Dan flipped her around, slamming her against the wall with strength he normally would never have. "I think the real question is, what are _you_ doing with my stuff?" he snarled, bringing his face close to hers. The scent of alcohol hung heavy on his breath. "Dan! Stop it! You're drunk!" Her reasoning was met only with deep brown eyes filled with rage. "I-I'm sorry! I never meant to-" Nicole's pleading was cut off as Dan crashed his mouth against hers, nibbling on her lower lip. "This is what happens," he growled, "To people who look where they aren't meant to." Nicole gasped as he bit down on her neck, sucking hard. Pupils dilating into pinpricks, she went limp in his arms. "Master! I-I'm so sorry, Master!" she whimpered. "I didn't mean it! Please, don't hurt me!" Falling to Dan's feet, she lay on her knees in the fetal position, arms outstretched in a plea for forgiveness: The perfect Submissive.  
Dan looked at her, slightly confused, before keeling over, unconcious. The alcohol had finally gotten to him. Nicole lay there for time unmeasured, trembling in fear, before crawling to the door, running downstairs, and locking herself in her room. Then, and only then, did she begin to cry.


	7. Shaken

I know, I know... I'm a horrible person. I haven't updated in months. I'm so sorry! I somehow fell of the writing bandwagon or whatever. I will try to be more active, but please only expect about a chapter every month. THANK YOU FOR 575 READS! 3, **Cali**

* * *

The next morning, Dan woke up on his floor with a splitting headache.  
"Ugghhh..." he groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "How much did I drink last night?"  
Grabbing the corner of his bed, he pulled himself to is feet, slipping and sliding on the various Pokemon cards strewn across the floor.  
"Huh... How did these get here?" Dropping back to his knees, he attempted to put the cards in some kind of order before cursing and shoving them back in their drawer.

He stumbled down the hall to the kitchen, shutting the blinds as fast as his clumsy hands could manage. Fumbling at the kettle, he plopped a tea bag into a mug and waited for the water to boil.

Five minutes later, he was sitting down at the table with a steaming cup of tea. "I am _never_ getting drunk again," he muttered, taking a long sip of the milky liquid.  
Glancing around, he noticed a half-eaten bowl of popcorn on the couch, a few kernels spilt over the cushions.  
"...Nicole wouldn't leave half a bowl of popcorn uneaten... Would she?" Walking down the stairs to Nicole's room, with one hand placed _firmly_ on the banister, he knocked lightly on her door. "Hey Nicole? You in there?"  
There was a long silence before a terse,  
"I'm fine." sounded from inside. Dan paused, slightly worried.  
"Are you sure? You sound a little-"  
" _I said I'm fine._ "

"Umm... Alright. If you need anything, just let me know." Dan turned and trudged back up the stairs, rubbing his aching forehead.  
"Did I do something wrong?"

* * *

Nicole sat, hugging her knees, rocking back and forth on her bed. Dark circles hung beneath haunted eyes, eyes that showed too much pain and indicison for one body to handle.  
She knew that Dan had been drunk off his ass, and had no idea what he had been doing. But when he slammed her into the wall, when he glared at her like that, something in her mind had just... shut down. She became that weak, broken, groveling shell that she had been turned into... That _Jake_ had turned her into.  
And in that moment, when Dan had taken her body and dashed it against the wall, he had looked so very much like Jake.

* * *

"Nicole?" Dan called, kicking her door gently. "Hello?"  
"Hey." Nicole's voice was a quiet, raspy mutter, but Dan sighed in relief.  
"Good, you're not dead. It would've taken _hours_ to fill out the paperwork and get you a coffin and such." Getting the feeling that Nicole wasn't appreciating his humor, Dan hastily asked,  
"So, why are you hiding in your room? Are you sick or something?"A sigh answered.  
"No, I'm fine, just a little tired. Anywhy, why did you kick my door? Knocking is a thing, you know."  
Dan chuckled in response. " Oh, I would've knocked, but I was sure you'd enjoy lunch more than the floor would."  
Muffled footsteps padded across the wooden floor, and the door opened a crack. Messy brown hair and tired chocolatey eyes peered out.  
"What was that about lunch?"


End file.
